Brian Burke continued his wheeling and dealing Tuesday morning by bringing a little more truculence into the Maple Leafs organization.

Sportsnet, citing sources, is reporting that Kaberle has
granted the Leafs permission to speak to only one team regarding a potential
trade.

By:Paul HunterSports Reporter, Published on Tue Feb 15 2011

The potential of the Maple Leafs trading defenceman Tomas Kaberle to the Bruins has apparently taken another step.

Sportsnet, citing sources, is reporting that Kaberle has granted the Leafs permission to speak to only one team – that being the Bruins – regarding a potential trade.

Kaberle has previously declined to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade. He has not waived that clause yet but has indicated he would look favourably on a trade to Boston.

Toronto general manager Brian Burke declined to comment on the validity of the report. He has said that Kaberle’s agent Rick Curran has requested that he remain silent on all aspects of his client’s situation until it is resolved, either with a trade, a contract extension or the defenceman walking as an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

Curran, when asked about the report, offered a polite “no comment.”

On a Boston radio station today, Burke confirmed that he is in trade discussion with Boston but declined to define the focus of those talks. He did say that he is not negotiating to get back the first-round draft pick that Toronto sent to the Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal.

Cam Neely, the former player who is now an executive with the Bruins, told a Boston radio station that his team “is close to something.”

Kaberle, 32, is in his 12th season with the Leafs, the team that drafted him.

Brian Burke continued his wheeling and dealing Tuesday morning by bringing a little more truculence into the Maple Leafs organization.

Toronto acquired tough guy Aaron Voros from the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Voros will report immediately to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

While Voros, a willing and enthusiastic fighter, will start on the farm, Burke said he would like to give the 29-year-old a chance with the big club before the end of the season. The complication, however, is that Voros would have to clear re-entry waivers before joining the Leafs.

“I would have to imagine at his salary that he would be attractive so we’re trying to sort out what to do,” said Burke. “I wouldn’t mind giving him some games. I think he’s an energy guy with size that can skate but I also think there’s a good chance someone could grab him so we’re trying to sort that out.”

If a player is claimed on re-entry waivers, the team that picks him up is responsible for only half his salary while the team that loses him picks up the remainder.

Voros will earn $900,000 (U.S.) this season but has a cap hit of only $677,000. The winger is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the pick Toronto gave up is conditional on the team re-signing him.

In 12 games with Anaheim this season, Voros has zero points and 43 penalty minutes. He missed 21 games earlier in the season with a bruised left eye. The Ducks recently assigned him to their minor league team in Syracuse.

Voros, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound Vancouver native, has 18 goals and 19 assists in 162 career NHL games with the Wild, Rangers and Ducks.

The trade comes the morning after Burke traded Kris Versteeg to Philadelphia for a first- and third-round pick and a week after he moved defenceman Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul and defence prospect Jake Gardiner.

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